Crews are working at the Minnesota Correctional Facility - St. Cloud on up to $37 million in upgrades. See the construction, and see what hasn't changed at this prison. It opened in 1889 to inmates.
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Maj. Patrick Foley talks about energy efficiency upgrades needed in the large main space during a tour of the St. Cloud Armory building Wednesday, April 11, in St. Cloud. (Photo: Dave Schwarz, dschwarz@stcloudtimes.com)Buy Photo

St. Cloud-area projects could get a $12 million-plus infusion through the Minnesota House Republicans' bonding bill.

They released the $825 million proposal on Wednesday. It includes some of the same projects presented in DFL Gov. Mark Dayton's $1.5 billion bond proposal.

If the Republican measure passes, the St. Cloud armory would get the $4.45 million requested to refurbish and add on to the Veterans Drive building. The Waite Park amphitheater project would receive a $5 million injection as well. And the prison in St. Cloud would receive a couple million dollars.

The full bill includes $364 million for maintenance of state assets, including buildings, $120 million for transportation infrastructure and $153 million for water and conservation projects, according to a Wednesday release from the Minnesota House Republican Caucus.

Maj. Patrick Foley talks about accessibility issues during a tour of the St. Cloud Armory building Wednesday, April 11, in St. Cloud. (Photo: Dave Schwarz, dschwarz@stcloudtimes.com)

Here are more details on what's earmarked for Central Minnesota in the House Republican plan.

St. Cloud armory

Gov. Dayton's bonding proposal sought more than $25 million for six different National Guard Readiness Centers, formerly called armories. The Republican proposal only included $4.45 million for renovations to the St. Cloud facility.

The St. Cloud armory has a leaking roof, asbestos and a kitchen that doesn't meet code requirements. The federal government would cover the other half of $8.9 million in renovations planned for the St. Cloud site.

The concept plan for a proposed amphitheater in Waite Park shows a 4,000-seat theater, of which about half are lawn seating.(Photo: Courtesy of Oertel Architects)

Waite Park amphitheater

Bonds for $5 million would help the city of Waite Park redevelop a quarry site off Parkway Drive and 17th Avenue South, according to the bill. The money could cover design, construction and furnishing costs required to create a regional park with an open-air stage.

Waite Park Mayor Rick Miller wanted the amphitheater to open in 2018, according to St. Cloud Times coverage two years ago, when concept drawings of the project were released. A 2015 feasibility study highlighted the site's natural features and its proximity to hotels, a highway network, other recreation and shopping.

St. Cloud prison

The House Republican plan earmarks $2.7 million for interior perimeter fencing at the Minnesota Correctional Facility-St. Cloud, according to a 2018 Capitol Budget spreadsheet.

Dayton's plan would have put $16.2 million toward plumbing and ventilation at the prison, which is in the midst of $37 million of renovations funded by past bonding resolutions. A new health services building at the prison opened in December.

In an interview last fall, prison officials said the facility needs funding for sensors and cameras along the inner fence. The exterior granite wall is also in need of repairs.